Then Iguodala’s voice trailed off, he smiled, and he shrugged in a way that seemed to suggest that he couldn’t fully explain what was going on behind closed doors.

Which is a good thing, I presume, for the Warriors’ upward trend.

You don’t want bland workouts in September if you’re aiming to play until June.

If you put together as much talent as the Warriors have for the 2013-2014 season, you want edginess and high-energy clashes and it should all coalesce into team-wide chemistry by the end of October.

That was not precisely the case, say, when the Warriors had Corey Maggette and Vladimir Radmanovic meandering around the practice floor.

Clearly, the current five-on-five games at the Warriors facility, involving all of the team’s key players, have been competitive.

And it’s not hard to imagine that Barnes, the youngster who may be losing his starting job, and Iguodala, the new Warrior acquisition with the big reputation, would be squaring off repeatedly and intensely.

They both play small forward. They’re both incredibly athletic, proud, and both want the team to get better and better.

“It’s been fun–we’re all pushing each other,” Iguodala said.

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“My first day I think I went up against Klay (Thompson) and I had to chase him around. That was a good workout. That was tough…

“So we’re looking good. Steph (Curry) had one day where he just couldn’t miss. And (Andrew) Bogut’s probably been the most dominant, because nobody’s really been able to guard him.

“Everybody’s had really good days. Me, myself, I’ve got a different mindset than trying to prove something, ‘I’m going to stop this guy today,’ or ‘I’m going to do this…’”

So is Barnes—who had such a terrific playoff series last season against Iguodala’s Nuggets–maybe coming into these workouts with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder?

“Uhh, I’m not sure,” Iguodala said. “My focus has really been: What type of team do we have? How can I get the most of my game and the most out of my teammates’ games?

“If anybody’s killed me, I’d say … Evan Turner’s killed me (back when they were 76ers teammates), I think it was coming into his second year.

“He had something to prove because he didn’t have a good rookie year. And he started that year.”

Barnes and all of the Warriors players have something to prove this season: That they can not only repeat last season’s trip to the second round of the postseason, but that they can expand on it.
And Iguodala is naturally the guy who is supposed to trigger that improvement.

The way to push it all forward is if Barnes and others go as hard as possible in these workouts, and if Iguodala pushes it, too.

Of course, Iguodala is a different player than Barnes—they’re versatile in different ways.

And there’s a strong chance that they could find themselves on the floor together for long periods this season, with Barnes shifting over to the power-forward spot or with Iguodala playing one of the two guard positions.

In fact, Iguodala said he is already focusing on facilitating the offense, figuring out where the Warriors’ top scorers want the ball and when they want it.

By the way, Iguodala, Thompson and Barnes all playing together—with Bogut defending the paint—would be the Warriors’ most dangerous defensive unit, no question.

They’re going at each other now to sharpen themselves for the nights when they’ll be up against Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Tony Parker and all the other top players.

It’s how an up-and-coming team keeps going up, keeps itself on edge, and storms into training camp at the highest speed possible.

Barnes is not going to lose his job. My guess is that we’ll see a rotation of starters, depending on the opponent: smaller teams would allow Lee to come off the bench, bigger teams might require Barnes at the #2 for more rebounding; in the end the advantage of AI is that he allows the Warriors so much depth compared to years past, not to mention the ability to withstand minor injuries and the luxury of allowing players to sit out a game or two to get fully healthy.

How long has it been since this team had such options to weather an 82 game season, much less the playoffs?

Now the real question is whether Bogut is healthy or just blowing smoke…

benbrung

That’s definitely the way to play it with a group this versatile, deep and seemingly cohesive. Ego is the enemy of intelligence though, so as long as no one let’s theirs get out of control over the starting line-up this could be an incredibly versatile and adaptive team.

overton j’anthony mayo

A rotating starting 5 would be very intriguing. It would allow us many different looks, we would be extremely versatile, and more difficult to prepare for. If it worked, it would speak volumes about our guys and their chemistry–I could see us evolving to be much like the spurs, who are very flexible with their lineup, occasionally starting Manu, shifting Duncan from the 4 to the 5, etc.

For the dubs, I’d see Steph and Bogut as bookends, with AI and Barnes almost always starting and Klay and Lee rotating. Against a traditional starting 5, I’d like to see Klay start on the bench, and against a smaller team see Lee on the bench.